"We're not who we used to be
We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me"
HARRY STYLES - 'Two Ghosts'

. . .

Cali woke up suddenly, something heavy landing on top of her and squishing her into the bed. She groaned, trying to roll over, but whatever was splayed over her body kept her pinned in one place. "Off," she grumbled, and the large blob giggled.

"Get up," Thea whined, wriggling. Her knees dug in to Cali's thighs. "Come on, your brother and mine are already up and gone. I gotta leave for school soon."

Cali huffed out a wheezy breath. "Not my problem."

Thea's wriggling increased. "Come on! Look, I want to skip school. I'll take you shopping or something. Just get up."

Cali lazily reached up and waved her hand, accidentally smacking Thea across the face. "Get off me, elephant, and I might."

Thea squeaked in excitement, scrambling off of the bed in a weird flailing of limbs. Cali grunted as hands pressed down on her stomach. Clearly, Thea was jittery - too jittery to really notice what she was doing with her limbs. Or she just didn't care. That was also a strong possibility.

Cali stretched out her limbs, sighing peacefully as her sleepy muscles began to wake up. She felt relaxed, more so than usual. Her entire body was lax and rested, her and her head felt fuzzy after a long night of undisturbed, deep sleep. She felt...fresh.

She frowned at the roof.

Right, she was in Oliver's room. She'd fallen asleep on him last night, too mentally exhausted to really stop herself. But if she'd taken up his bed, where had he slept? She rolled her head to look at Thea, hoping for an answer. "Where..." Her voice trailed off as she yawned.

The younger Queen sibling gave her a knowing look, lips twisted into a cheeky grin. "Ollie slept in one of the guest rooms. Tommy came in to check on you a few times after dinner officially ended, but then he crashed in 'his' room. They've just left for their tour around the city."

It made sense that Tommy hadn't left her here alone. Moira had given them both their own rooms in the house for precisely that purpose.

Cali sat up slowly, humming as Thea threw clothes at her. Clearly, today was a day for action and hurry. Really, Cali felt lethargic and slow - she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. God, what the hell kind of magic did Oliver's bed have?

"I'm going to tell Mom that you're driving me to 'school'," Thea said brightly. "Hurry and up and get changed."

Cali mockingly saulted. "Yes ma'am."

Thea responded with a curt nod, a mock-serious look on her face before it dissolved into an expression of pure delight. Cali laughed warmly as Thea hurried out of the room, loudly calling for her mother. Well, at least Oliver's return had lifted Thea's spirits. Cali's smile soured. Or perhaps, Thea had just been given a new supply, and this was the result. That was also likely.

Whatever. Cali shook her head, frowning down at the clothes she was holding. Thea's problems were not Cali's concern. Thea's happiness was her concern, and right now, shopping was apparently what she needed to stay that way. If she was also relying on drugs, then Cali would let her. Better to plead ignorance. If it got out of hand, she'd deal with it, but for now...

She wanted to go shopping, she decided, shrugging off the blanket she didn't remember going to sleep with and standing up. Thea had picked out skinny jeans and a cashmere sweater - simple, yet elegant. Cali's smile regained its warmth.

Maybe they'd be okay.

. . .

"Your funeral blew," Tommy informed his friend casually, glancing away from the window. Oliver looked pained, yet carefully polite - it was like he was trying to remember what face he needed to have to fit into the different conversations. Tommy didn't mention his observation. Oliver deserved that much at least.

Oliver settled on a small smile as he returned Tommy's look. "Did you get lucky?"

Tommy grinned widely. "Fish in a barrel. They were so sad..."

Oliver shook his head, his smile widening, becoming a little more real. "No."

"And huggy," Tommy continued. "And I am counting on another target rich environment for your welcome home bash."

There may have been a better way to reveal that, Tommy realised as Oliver floundered for a moment. "At my what?" He asked, looking vaguely panicked.

Tommy counted that as Oliver failing his test. Maybe Cali had been right; this Oliver was a far cry from the Oliver who'd been on that boat. Maybe this Oliver was too different, but was too reluctant to let them see how different. Tommy would have to let him play his game of pretend, let him keep his masks and false smiles. If Oliver still trusted him, then he would reveal it all eventually. Tommy knew that much for certain.

"You came back from the dead," he said innocently. "This calls for a party. You tell me where and when. I'll take care of everything." Oliver just looked out the window, wincing slightly when he saw the people scattered along the sides of the roads. Tommy winced with him. "And this city's gone to crap. Your dad sold his factory just in time." Another silent pause. "And why'd you want to drive through this neighborhood anyway?"

Tommy didn't miss the stiffness to Oliver's shoulders, nor did he miss the way that Oliver's voice hardened, got colder. "No reason," Oliver said lowly. Tommy hummed, but didn't refute the claim. He knew when to drop it. He was surprised when Oliver continued talking, though. "Hey Tommy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

Oliver swallowed, finally returning his attention to his friend. His smile was gone. "While I was...gone, did something happen with Cali? To Cali?"

Ah.

Really, Tommy should have expected this. This Oliver was observant and suspicious and sensitive to every little difference. Of course he would've picked up on the changes to Cali's behaviour, and the way everyone reacted to her because of it.

He took a deep breath. "Cali went through a lot while you were gone," he said carefully, his tone flat and neutral. "It was tough for a while. It was...God, it was really tough. But she got better. She's working at the library now and that gives her something to do with herself during the day."

Oliver didn't reply for a while, staring at Tommy so intently, Tommy thought his skin might spontaneously burst into flames. "There's something you aren't telling me," Oliver said finally, a strange note of acceptance in his voice.

"If Cali wants you to know what happened, she'll be the one to tell you," Tommy said firmly. "It's not my place to blab about it."

Oliver nodded and the intensity to his gaze finally disappeared. Tommy sagged slightly. "Alright," Oliver agreed. "Can we go see Laurel?"

Tommy just blinked at the sudden topic change. "Everyone is happy you're alive," he said, puzzled. "You want to see the one person who isn't?"

Oliver didn't respond.

. . .

"So you have a crush on my brother?" Cali wrinkled her nose. "That's kind of gross to hear, Critter."

Thea rolled her eyes, taking a long drink of her coffee. "Worst nickname ever," she muttered to herself. "Anyway, who doesn't have a crush on Tommy?"

"Me," Cali said pointedly. Thea waved her off, attention drawn to a cute black dress displayed in a shop window. Cali just sighed. "Thea, honey, I am begging you. No more shopping. My arms hurt. I can't feel my feet. Lets just go back to my apartment until school finishes, and then you can go home."

Thea turned pleading eyes upon her friend. "One last shop," she said. "Please? I need a new dress for Ollie's Welcome Home party, and this one is perfect."

"Thea, that's the same excuse you've used for literally every other dress today." Cali held her friend's gaze for a moment before dropping her shoulders in defeat. "Alright," she surrendered. "Go on. I'll stay out here and finish my milkshake. But this is the last one. Otherwise I'm leaving you here."

Thea beamed. "Thanks Cali!"

Cali shook her head. "Yeah, whatever."

. . .

Fingers brushed through her hair gently, nails catching on any tangles and smoothing them out. She hummed, half-awake. The soothing motions didn't stop, but they grew a little lighter as Michael registered her waking up.

"Hey baby girl," he whispered softly. "Good sleep?"

Cali just hummed again, burying back into the blanket that was covering her. Michael fell silent as well, focusing on stroking her hair.

Three months later, those gentle touches turned into clawed grips and screaming and let go let go letgoletgoletgo-

. . .

Cali was just finishing the last mouthful of milkshake when Thea came storming out of the shop, tears bubbling in her eyes. Her phone was held tightly in her hand, and she was grabbing Cali's bicep and dragging her away before Cali could take a breath to ask what was happening.

"We're going home," Thea said sharply, voice thick with tears and panic. "Now. Straight home."

Cali shoved the shopping bags in the car uncaringly, sliding into the front seat and jamming the keys in the ignition. "What's wrong?" She asked, starting the car and throwing it into gear. Thea didn't answer, but her lip quivered. "Thea. What's happening?"

Thea very pointedly didn't look at her. "Oliver and Tommy have been kidnapped."

"Oh," Cali managed. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive.

. . .

"Look kid, Laurel just wanted me to check up on you. She said Tommy was worried." Detective Lance gave her a gentle, searching look. "Is everything okay? Between you and your boyfriend?"

Cali took a sharp breath, letting anger coat her features to hide the fear. "I don't appreciate your implications," she said sharply. "Michael and I are doing fine. Tell Tommy and Laurel to keep their noses out of my business. If they don't approve, then they can simply not-approve from a distance. Thank you for your visit, was there anything else I can help you with?"

Detective Lance sighed. "No, kid. That's all. Just watch out for yourself."

"I've been doing that pretty well so far," Cali said, voice cool. "Thank you for stopping by."

She shut the door in his face.

. . .

"Oh, Thea." Moira swept her daughter into a tight hug. "I was so worried when the school said you weren't there. If the situation weren't so dire, you'd be in trouble."

Thea pulled away from her mother's hold, looking to Walter. "What's happening? How far has the investigation gone?"

Cali wrapped Thea's shaking hand in her own, gripping on tightly as Walter and Moira shared a look. "Detective Lance responded to the call," Moira said carefully. "He's got a team looking for them now."

Cali swallowed thickly. Oh God, Tommy. What if something happened? What if-What if Detective Lance came through the front door with two dead bodies and a whole lot of bad news? Cali wouldn't be able to survive that. No, if she lost Tommy - if she lost Oliver - she would also lose part of herself that she would never be able to get back.

"I-" She cut herself off, pressing her lips together tightly. Too much was happening too quickly. She needed...She needed something. Something. She needed Tommy and hugs and comfort because Tommy was the one who had kept her together throughout those five long years and if she lost him now, she would unravel in the most ugly way until there was none of her left.

Thea squeezed her hand, but offered her no words of comfort. She couldn't. Thea was a sister too. They were both just two girls who needed their brothers. No matter how much Thea tried to deny it, Oliver held a piece of her spirit. Losing him again, so soon after getting him back, would cripple her.

Moira reached out and drew Cali into a tight hug. Cali let herself go limp in the woman's hold, taking measured breaths so she didn't fall apart. "They'll be okay," Moira promised shakily. "Everything will be okay."

Cali choked on a small whimper. "What if I lose him, Moira?" She felt a hand gently rub against her shoulder. "What if I lose them both?"

Moira drew back. "I won't lose my baby again," she swore grimly, "and I will not let you lose your brother. You and Tommy are both dear to me, and I love you both as though you were my own children. They'll be okay. I promise, they will be okay."

Cali sniffled, letting Thea burrow into her side. "Alright," she said, gripping onto her fraying edges and holding them tightly. She wouldn't fall apart until they knew for certain one way or the other. "Okay."

Walter offered them both a small smile. "I think Raisa made some hot chocolate. Come, we'll wait in the living room."

Silently, the four of them moved to the living room where Cali and Thea collapsed on the couch, still tangled in each other. Thea was trembling hard enough that Cali's arm was starting to hurt. She didn't say anything about it, just held the young Queen girl tighter and closed her eyes.

She started to pray.

. . .

"Thea, please don't." Cali was begging now, trying desperately to grip onto Thea before she could put herself in danger. "Everything's fine. You don't need to ask Michael anything."

Thea whirled on her, eyes alight with protective, indignant fury. "Look at me and tell me that you love him," she hissed wildly. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you trust him, that he isn't laying a hand on you, that all of this isn't his doing." She motioned to the mottled bruises on Cali's wrist.

Cali bowed her head. "Please," she whispered, voice broken. "Thea, he's going to hurt you. I don't want to put you in that position."

"So you'd rather it be you?" Thea shook her head. "I can look after myself, Cali."

"Please," Cali whispered again, like a broken record. "Please. Please."

Please.